Boys Do Cry
by Fan4Life07
Summary: Oliver didn't want things to change, but knew they would. Kaz didn't want things to change either. He was determined not to let them.
1. Chapter 1

**Something I've been wanting to write for a while, and now that the Mighty Med section is up, that pushed me to get this first chapter up! I really want to build a story, and hope this first chapter is at least interesting enough to catch a few people's eyes…**

** Well I'll just keep this part short and let you dive into the story right now. Hope you all like it!**

* * *

As far as Kaz knew, life fell into a series of patterns. Oliver and he had been best friends since kindergarten, when they bonded over their identical _Tecton_ lunchboxes. Oliver had the crusts of his sandwiches cut off so they formed equal squares, and Kaz cut his own sandwiches with plastic knives under his mom's supervision so they were jagged, mis-shapen triangles. In second grade, when they were paired together for a science fair project, Oliver focused on making an accurate model of a village, while Kaz researched how to make the messiest volcanic chili eruption possible. Kaz knew everything about Oliver, even the secrets they shared and promised they would never tell another living soul—Oliver's crush on Skylar Storm was one of them.

It wasn't exactly a secret, not with the way Oliver would gush whenever a new comic of hers came out, or when he found a very realistic drawing of her on the internet message boards, or when he read fanfiction so vivid that he imagined he was right there with her. But Oliver felt silly for crushing so hard over a fictional character, so he made Kaz promise not to tell anybody about his feelings, threatening to tell the real reason why Kaz got kicked off the soccer team in grade school when he was found with that hose and peanut butter.

Kaz wasn't sure what he was expecting when Skylar walked into Mighty Med, but there was something about Oliver's reaction that didn't live up to the moment. Thinking before talking didn't come naturally to Kaz, but he didn't want Oliver pissed at him. They had just smoothed things over after he accidentally flushed Oliver's Mighty Med communicator down the toilet.

* * *

The comic book store was a second home to Kaz and Oliver, so when it was closed for "renovations," they weren't sure what to do with themselves. Kaz suggested they go get chili cheese fries with extra mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard, and Oliver declined, his insides not fully recovered from the time last week when they ate those tacos with "special sauce." He wasn't sure what made the sauce so "special," and he really didn't want to know.

"Let's go ice skating," Kaz said.

"Ice skating? I didn't think you'd want to go again after that whole "no burritos on the ice incident" last year."

"Don't think I haven't forgotten about that injustice. But my mom said she would give me five bucks if I went outside and did something active. But the ice rink is inside, so the joke's on her."

"What are you gonna spend the five dollars on?" Oliver asked.

"Comic books."

"So you're going to go out and do something, for money so you can buy comic books and stay inside? It's like the circle of life."

"Ooh, let's watch the Lion King later. My mom rented it from the video store."

Oliver rolled his eyes and smiled. It was amazing at how little it took to get Kaz off track.

It was also amazing that Kaz believed he could flirt with the woman at the ice skating rink to get in without paying, because, as Oliver should have expected, his best friend didn't have any money. He didn't even know why Kaz owned a wallet, considering he never had anything more than a couple pennies and nickels in there. Sometimes, he thought Kaz just liked giving the illusion that he had cash on him.

"I can't believe she shot me down. She rejected all of this." Kaz emphatically pointed towards his face.

"She must be crazy."

"No kidding. There's no way she's gonna let me in there…unless my best friend could lend me a couple bucks."

Kaz gave Oliver his puppy-dog eyes, the same ones he used when they were in kindergarten and he wanted to "borrow" his toy train. Oliver should have developed a better defense system against that look, but he couldn't say no. Besides, what fun would he have by himself? So he paid for Kaz, and told him not to worry about it when Kaz _promised_ to pay him back. What was he going to pay him back with? Monopoly money? He had already tried that four times over the course of their friendship.

* * *

Much to his surprise, Kaz was a natural on the ice. Apparently, the sports games they played on Wii paid off for his friend. Unfortunately, none of that game prowess rubbed off on Oliver, who spent more time with his butt on the ice than not.

"Dude, you look like a chicken when you walk like that," Kaz said.

"Shut up." Oliver wobbled to the wall, and sighed. "I'm not good at this. I'll just sit on the sideline, and watch you."

"No way. You're not gonna sit on your butt, if I can sit on mine. We'll do that when we watch the Lion King. Come and let King Kaz show you how to ice skate."

Oliver was going to protest, but Kaz grabbed his hand and led him across the ice. They hadn't dressed for ice skating, so neither one of them wore gloves. Skin-to-skin contact was not something that happened often between two boys, and Oliver was suddenly aware of how hard his heart was pounding. It was happening again.

The first time it happened was four months ago, when Kaz asked Oliver to pass him the ketchup at their favorite restaurant. The top wasn't screwed on correctly, and when Kaz tried to check what had caused the spill, globs of ketchup came gushing out across his shirt. As Oliver watched his best friend clean himself up with the napkins, he noticed how every so often, his shirt would ride up and expose some skin. He wasn't sure what was catching his eye so much. It was just Kaz's skin, his bare skin, just a couple inches above his…Oliver brought his menu to his lap to hide his erection.

Why was he getting excited over another guy, his best friend, no less? After a five minute freak-out in his mind, Oliver came to the conclusion that it was just bad timing. It was just a coincidence that he got hard while watching his best friend. He laughed off the thought that he was ever attracted to Kaz. Actually, he laughed out loud, and had to make up a joke on the spot to convince Kaz that he wasn't thinking about him. It wasn't that hard though. Kaz laughed all the time. It was one of the things Oliver liked best about him.

After their lunch that day, Oliver didn't allow himself to dwell on what had happened anymore. But then it happened a week later after gym class when he saw Kaz talking to Lucas, a football jock. They had been paired together for fitness training. Oliver's partner was Gus.

He didn't think much of it at first, but he found himself looking over repeatedly, his eyes trailing down their naked bodies. Lucas was a lot more built than Kaz, and had muscles that rivaled the seniors. With his blond hair, blue eyes and smile that could make any girl tongue-tied, it was no wonder he was so popular. And Kaz was chatting with him like it was no big deal. They were naked and talking like they were sitting together for lunch. Oliver wished it was him. He wished he was standing next to Lucas and his naked body. He was hard again.

That time, he wasn't able to shake off the arousal that easily. Images of Kaz and Lucas naked filled his mind for the rest of the day, and that night, when he had his first wet dream. He was embarrassed, and very much still aroused. Oliver covered his head with his pillow, and started crying. He couldn't be gay.

He was scared that the other kids would catch on, that he would start getting shoved into lockers and dumped into trash cans. What his parents think? What would Kaz think?

Everything would change. He and Kaz had been through everything together, but this was something that might tear their friendship apart, and that was the last thing Oliver wanted. He just wished all of these feelings would go away.

They never did though, and after months of staring at Lucas in class, Oliver had come to terms with things. There was no way he'd ever tell a living soul, but he actually kind of enjoyed thinking about Lucas during study hall. They never got a chance to talk, and maybe it was better that they didn't. Oliver didn't want to embarrass himself.

Holding Kaz's hand and skating with him reminded Oliver of the occasional rush of heat that came to his cheeks when he looked at Kaz. And it reminded him that he was lying to his best friend. He felt as bad as his butt ached from falling onto the ice so many times.

"See, you're getting the hang of it," Kaz said with a smile. Oliver blushed when Kaz squeezed his hand. Inadvertently, probably. But it felt good nonetheless. "Hey, it's Lucas."

Oliver nearly had a heart attack, especially when Kaz called him over. "Wait, I gotta go the bathroom. I'll be right back."

"Wait, you gotta meet—"

"Dude, if you don't let go of my hand, we're gonna have a problem that no one is gonna wanna clean up."

Kaz quickly let his hand go, and Oliver skated off as fast as he could. He managed to make it to the exit pretty smoothly, but tripped and fell on his face just as he was stepping off the ice. People were laughing, and Kaz must have turned to see him, which meant Lucas did too. That only fueled Oliver to rush to the bathroom even more quickly.

He felt like an idiot. He used to be nervous around girls, but he could barely function around boys. It wasn't fair. Nothing was fair.

* * *

**Different from the dirtier stories on my profile, but it's nice to have a little change…don't get me wrong though, this story is rated M for a reason. But it's a journey, both for me, and for the characters, so I hope you'll want to go on this journey with us!**

** Until next time! Make sure to leave a review and tell me what you think so far!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Felt inspired to write another chapter, so I hope you all enjoy it!**

**And who saw the latest episode of Mighty Med. When Oliver and Kaz thought they might not make it out of their mission alive? That hugging scene was cute. Here's to a great friendship!**

* * *

"Gay?"

"Yeah, dude. I totally saw him checking me out once in the gym showers. And I'm pretty sure he was checking you out too," Lucas said.

"Woah, woah, woah. Oliver isn't gay. He likes his hair like that. And you must have been seeing things because Oliver would never do that. He likes girls. Loves them. The only guy who loves them more than him is me."

"Calm down, Kaz."

"Say it."

"Say what?"

"Say you made a mistake, and Oliver's not gay," Kaz said.

"Dude, why are you getting so…"

"Say it!" Kaz was shaking. He didn't know why he was getting so worked up, but when he heard the word come out of Lucas's mouth, it felt like his heart was just stabbed with a knife.

"All right, chill out. I guess I was imagining things. He was probably looking at something in our direction and I mistook it. He's not gay. Are we cool?"

"Yeah, we're cool."

* * *

Sprawled out on the floor of his bedroom, Kaz kept his attention on Oliver rather than the homework he was supposed to be doing. Even after he forced an apology out of Lucas, he didn't feel better. Now the thought was planted in his mind, and it was spreading like poison ivy.

Oliver looked up and rolled his eyes. He didn't know why he agreed to study with Kaz when his best friend couldn't muster up enough attention to focus on one math problem or read one chapter for English class. "What's the matter? Got a fly caught in your mouth again?"

"Are you gay?"

Oliver dropped his pencil and looked at Kaz, his heart pounding so loudly, he could hear it in his ears. He waited a couple seconds for Kaz to shout "got'cha" or "just kidding," but Kaz's expression remained stationary. This wasn't something to joke about, but in that moment, Oliver wished this was just another one of Kaz's poorly thought-out pranks.

"Why?"

"Are you?"

"If you don't want to study, fine. But don't go asking stupid questions like that. I'm going home."

Kaz stood up when Oliver started packing up his stuff. "Wait, Oliver. I'm not accusing you or anything, I just…Lucas said something earlier today and…"

"Lucas? What did he say? Something about me?"

The look on Oliver's face, a combination between hopeful and desperate, made Kaz feel even worse about saying it. "He said he thought you were checking him out in the shower…and me…"

It was the first time in Oliver's life that he felt like he wanted to disappear. Not even when he was five and broke his arm and couldn't read comic books. Not when he was ten and his dog got ran over by a truck. Not last week when Kaz set off a firecracker near his head as a prank and he lost his ability to hear for ten minutes. Kaz was always there for him, but what if he wouldn't stick around this time? He couldn't let that happen.

"What? Checking _you_ out? You're my best friend, and we're together 24-7. I've seen you almost naked way too many times for me to ever be interested in checking you out. And Lucas? Why would I ever check him out? Because he's tall? Because he's got muscles? Because he's got that whole sexy but nice guy thing going for him? Sure, if I was into that sort of thing…which I'm not. I mean, you've known me since kindergarten. I thought you knew me better than that."

"See, I knew you weren't gay. It's just that Lucas said some stuff and it got in my head. Aww, come here, dude." Kaz hugged Oliver and squeezed tight. It was okay. He was okay. Everything was okay. "Now you gotta help me with this homework because it's been two hours and I don't even know what chapters are due tomorrow…or which book."

"Actually, I think I'm gonna head home."

"Hey, you're not mad, are you? I never actually thought you were…"

"You know, now that we've solved that little misunderstanding, let's not talk it about it anymore, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."

Oliver rushed out of Kaz's room, leaving the black-haired boy alone. He fell onto his bed, pushing his homework off the bed before he covered his face with his pillow. He hated when he let his big mouth get him into situations like this.

* * *

When Oliver got home, he opened up his backpack and found Kaz's sweater. It was one of his favorite sweaters on Kaz, a blue one that he had bought because the saleswoman was pretty. Oliver had been a little annoyed at how thick Kaz was pouring it on with her, but she was right. The sweater looked good. And her commission probably got her something nice. Everybody won.

He slipped off his shirt and kicked off his shoes, crawling into bed while holding Kaz's sweater. It smelled like him and was still warm. When Oliver closed his eyes, he imagined Kaz lying next to him, chuckling about something stupid that would inevitably make him smile too. He pictured Kaz gently touching his legs with his toes, which were cold, and Kaz wouldn't stop until his feet were warm. He saw Kaz closing the distance between them just enough to gently kiss him.

In recreating the image of Kaz's body through the warmth of his sweater, the silhouette of his best friend became cemented even more deeply in his mind when he imagined Kaz's hands slowly roaming over his body. Under his shirt, down his legs, inside his jeans. And Kaz was looking at him the whole time, mouth open slightly and eyes piercing straight through him. "I'm really turned on, dude," he whispered with an apologetic smile. It was a combination of innocent and sexy that nobody else in the world could pull off.

Every sound echoed in Oliver's ears: the zipper of Kaz's jeans coming down, the shifting and dipping of the bed as Kaz pulled down his jeans and underwear down, but more than anything it was the sound of Kaz's heavy breaths, so close to his ear that it made his toes curl.

Oliver opened his eyes, panting for breath, and blushed when he reached down and cupped his crotch, feeling stickiness cover the inside of his jeans. His legs shaking and the pressure at his crotch unnerving, Oliver wobbled to the bathroom to clean himself off. He had just about stopped jerking off all together for fear that something like this would happen, and just the fantasy alone had him losing control. He needed something to make these feelings go away. He needed a plan.

* * *

His cell phone in hand, Oliver paced around his room for nearly an hour trying to come up with the best way to put his request into words. It was a lot to ask, but he was desperate. Everything was on the line. Kaz was on the line. To Oliver, they were one in the same.

He took a deep breath and dialed the number. "Hello, Skylar? It's Oliver. I know it's late, but I have something really important to ask you so please don't laugh and hear me out. I want you to be my girlfriend. Okay, maybe that's jumping too far ahead, so I'll just ask you on a date. You can come to Earth and I'll show you a real Normo date. I know we haven't known each other that long, but I've read your comics forever and I know so much about you, and I really care about you, which is why I'd really like to ask you out. Just say yes and I promise you'll have a good time."

Oliver was nearly out of breath by the time he finished. Listening to silence, he momentarily wondered if Skylar had hung up on him. Maybe he hadn't actually dialed the right number, and he was never talking to anyone at all. Maybe that was better. It was only after he recalled what he had just said that he realized how embarrassing he sounded.

"Okay."

Did he hear her right? Did she understand what he was asking her? Oliver didn't care. He had a date with a girl, with Skylar Storm of all people. He practically worshipped her a few months ago. If anybody could turn him back onto girls, it was her. He tried to hold in a squeal, but it came out anyway.

He cleared his throat. "Cool. Then I'll see you tomorrow."

"Do all Normos do that voice thing when it goes really high then really low? Kaz always does that too. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, bye." Oliver broke into a smile and hopped onto his bed. He put Kaz's shirt in the back corner of his bottom drawer.

* * *

All of the first date jitters hit Oliver the next morning. He spent nearly thirty minutes pulling out every item of clothing in his room so he could pick the right outfit, spent another thirty minutes trying to get his hair to look he had put effort into it, but not too much. He popped three breath mints and put some in his pocket. Oliver blushed at even the thought of kissing Skylar.

He was so nervous that he couldn't even eat breakfast, but that only gave him the idea that they could go out for breakfast. If he was a better cook, he would make something for them to eat and that would win him some serious romantic points, but he didn't want to get ahead of himself. Everything was riding on this date, so he had to focus all his attention on this morning.

_Right after he left to meet Skylar at the mall, Kaz texted him an apology. _

_Sorry about last night, dude. U still mad?_

_Don't worry about it. I have a date with Skylar!_

_No way! Text me afterward and let me know how it goes!_

_Thanks. Talk to you later._

Kaz had just texted him on a Saturday morning. His best friend was usually asleep until noon at the earliest. Oliver knew Kaz was probably crawling back into bed at this very moment, but he was grateful that Kaz went through the trouble of waking up early just for him. He was more determined than ever to make things work with Skylar.

Oliver and Skylar had breakfast at _Andy's_, a pancake and waffle restaurant. After pushing out the image of Kaz stuffing his face with pancakes, syrup trickling from the corners of his cheeks, Oliver got them a table by the window. The morning light was captivating.

"Where's Kaz?" Skylar asked.

"He's not coming. It's just the two of us. Why? Is that a problem?" Oliver started to panic. If she wasn't even looking at this as a date from the very beginning, he was in trouble. "On Earth, dates are usually just between two people so they can talk and get to know each other without a bunch of distractions…and you know Kaz is the biggest distraction in the universe."

"I'm not that familiar with Earth dating customs…I've never actually been on a date before. I just assumed if you wanted to do something, Kaz would be with you. I don't think I've ever known two people who spend as much time together as you two."

"We're just best friends. We've been that way since kindergarten. It doesn't mean anything."

"Okay…" Skylar took a sip of water.

The momentary silence extended into a couple minutes. They ate quietly, and even though Oliver racked his brain to say something, anything at all, his mouth wouldn't cooperate. This date wasn't going well. He wasn't even sure it could technically be called a date.

"You're nervous," Skylar said.

"Huh?"

"You're not acting like yourself. You keep looking at me like you're about to say something, but you're so quiet. Is this normal on Earth dates?"

"It's just that this is a big deal. You're Skylar Storm…I mean Connie Valentine, and I'm just…me. Girls aren't exactly lining up at my door to talk to me. I guess it's just a little intimidating."

"Why? It's not like we don't know each other already. You don't have to impress me. You're already the coolest Normo I know."

"Really?" Oliver was beaming. She reached over and put her hands on top of his. "This is a little embarrassing, but I had a really big crush on you when I first saw your comic in the comic book store."

"I know. Kaz told me."

"He _what_? I'm gonna kill Kaz."

Skylar laughed. "I'm just kidding." Oliver turned bright red, and Skylar laughed even more. "Your face turns an interesting shade of pink when you're embarrassed."

_Just relax_. It was the most obvious and cliché advice imaginable, but once Skylar told him to loosen up, that's exactly what Oliver did. They talked a lot, and not about Mighty Med or Kaz. He wanted to know more about Skylar Storm, the person, not the superhero. And he laughed when he told him about the embarrassing details of his life. She thought he was funny. Oliver thought she was perfect.

* * *

Oliver wasn't surprised when he showed up at Kaz's house a couple hours later, and Kaz was still lying in bed, watching TV.

"Hey, I was gonna text you, but I thought you still might be sleeping. You busy?"

"Never too busy for my best friend, who had a hot date with Skylar!"

Kaz patted a seat next to him, and after kicking off his shoes, Oliver crawled into bed with Kaz. It should have been awkward. It probably shouldn't have even been happening at all, and they both would deny it until they mouths were dry that they sometimes lay in bed together, but they were so close that it didn't seem weird to either one of them.

"It was kind of awkward at first, but once I got in the swing of things, it was smooth sailing from there," Oliver said.

"That's awesome. Did you guys…you know?" Kaz tapped Oliver's leg with his bare foot and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Oliver couldn't fight back the laugh.

"She kissed me on the cheek."

"That's it?"

"Well, we're not gonna suck each other's faces off. It was the first date. I don't want to rush things."

"Okay, okay. Sorry. Your relationship, your rules. I just can't believe you have a girlfriend before me. Next thing you know, you're gonna say you've been leveling up at the arcade without me."

"I'm not saying that…but next time we go, you better bring your A-game. And your own quarters."

They laughed and let the afternoon cartoons fill the silence for a while.

"Hey, Oliver?"

"Yeah?" Oliver didn't turn to look at Kaz. He already planned his response for the inevitable fart joke.

"I think you picked up my sweater last night by accident. Hold onto it for a while, would you?"

"Why?"

"I don't know. My room's such a mess and I kinda like that sweater. And I don't trust anyone else to take care of it."

Oliver smiled and sunk deeper against the bed. His leg brushed against Kaz's. Neither one made any effort to pull away.

"Deal."

* * *

**Looks like Oliver is in a good place right now. How will things continue for him? And for Kaz? Next chapter, we'll be seeing how things play out.**

**See you guys then~ **


	3. Chapter 3

**FINALLY, I come bearing an update for this story! Thanks soooo much to everyone who reviewed! It really made me excited to get this chapter out, and I hope it was worth the wait .**

** Also, when are we getting a new Mighty Med episode? It's been forever! I need more Kaz and Oliver on my screens!**

* * *

"Six tickets. Enjoy your stay at Adventure World," the cashier said with a customer-friendly patented perfection.

The six of them walked into the amusement park, letting out a collective "woah." The park was massive, roller coasters stretching towards the sky. The map was so big, Oliver felt like he was undoing origami folds. Kaz, Jordan and Gus were all shouting their ideas about where to go first. Skylar was still looking around I awe of all the happy kids, costumed mascots, and rides. Alan was sitting on a bench, arms crossed and a sour look planted on his face.

"I can't believe Uncle Horace forced me to come along to a stupid amusement park with you Normos."

"Did he just call us 'Normos?'" Jordan asked.

"No, he said Normos," Kaz said. "It's Latin for cool people. Trust me, it's a big internet meme in…Canada…where Alan is from."

Kaz turned to Oliver and gave him a thumbs up and a wink. Oliver rolled his eyes in response. Jordan didn't push the question any further though, so he supposed Kaz's flimsy excuse was good enough.

Oliver had barely been able to sleep the night before, caught between excitement and terror about his first "date" with Skylar. Being in a group made things less awkward, but put more pressure on him because he knew Kaz was watching his every move. Kaz wasn't usually one to put much focus into something, but when he did, his attention couldn't be deterred. The added stress of bringing Alan along, and trying to keep Mighty Med a secret seemed way too much for him to take on at once.

But he couldn't say no when he saw how excited Skylar was to visit her first Earth amusement park. And Gus's cousin worked as one of the costumed dinosaurs, so they got a discount. He paid for Skylar's ticket to start the date off as a gentleman, and Kaz's ticket because his best friend was broke and he still hadn't found a way to resist those puppy dog eyes Kaz did so well. Gus paid for Jordan, mostly because she threatened him, and Horace gave Alan three hundred dollars to get out of the lab for the day.

When Kaz offered to take Gus, Jordan and Alan around the park so Oliver and Skylar could be alone, Oliver accepted, mostly because he knew he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. But Gus was really excited about going on the bumper karts, then the carnival games booths, then the "Water Drop." Skylar said she didn't mind if Gus came along with them, so the group split into threes. Oliver wasn't sure why Gus was so determined to be with them, but it made him nervous.

* * *

"Let's go on that one," Skylar said, pointing to Space Drop, the biggest roller coaster in the whole park.

Oliver gulped. He and Kaz made it a point to ride all the kid roller coasters when they were younger, but Space Drop went so high that the drops were said to tear your skin off. He was terrified, but Skylar clearly had her eyes set on this one. And Gus was equally as excited. He didn't want to look like a wimp on his first date.

"Yeah, let's go," he whimpered.

While they waited in line, Skylar chatted with Gus while Oliver kept looking around and trying to remind himself that he was safe. All these people were thrilled to be riding Space Drop. A couple of college guys fist-pumped each other about how "sick" this ride was. There were even women old enough to be his mom standing in line, talking about what a rush this ride was. If they could handle it, Oliver was sure he could too.

When they got to the front of the line, Oliver stood in front of the sign that read "you must be this tall to ride Space Drop." He blushed when he came up short by a couple inches.

"Sorry, I can't let you on," the guy said. He was a skinny college kid that couldn't look more disinterested if he tried.

"Come on, can't you let him on?" Skylar said. "We've been waiting in line forever."

"Rules are rules."

Even though he had been terrified just minutes ago, Oliver didn't want Skylar and Gus to suffer because of his short stature. Being short never really bothered him. The only other time he felt embarrassed about his height was when a couple guys made fun of him in middle school, and called him "Baby Ollie." But Kaz threatened to pull a prank on them so horrible that even their grandchildren would feel it.

"You guys are approaching this the wrong way," Gus said. He pulled out a twenty dollar bill and winked at the man. "_Now _is he tall enough?"

"You bet he is!"

The three of them entered the front car of Space Drop, all the people in line behind them voicing their relief over the "agonizingly long wait." Each car held three people, so Oliver found himself in the middle. It somehow eased him to have someone on either side in case something happened.

He tried to stay positive, feed off everyone else's excitement, but when the ride began and they began ascending a large peak, he felt his heart race so fast it could outrun Speedy Gonzalez. Skylar was screaming loudly like everyone else. Oliver shut his eyes, but quickly opened them again when he felt something warm against his hand. When he looked down, he saw that Gus was holding his hand. His friend didn't say anything, but squeezed it when they reached the very top.

The drop down didn't rip his skin off, but it definitely felt like it. His scream was so high-pitched that it probably surpassed the teenage girls sitting behind him. But as he squeezed Gus's hand and felt air slamming against his face, Oliver felt exhilaration unlike any other. Through all the twists and turns, and the upside down loop, Oliver felt the thrill everyone else felt. By the end of the ride, he was crying, just like Skylar, who hugged him tight.

"That was so much fun," she said. "Can we ride it again?"

"It won't be as fun if we ride it again right after the first time," Oliver said. "The best part of an amusement park is getting to see all the rides. You don't want to wear yourself out."

"Okay, then let's hurry and go to the next one!" Skylar ran off. Oliver couldn't help but smile at how happy she was. Apparently, the first date was going pretty well.

Before Gus could chase after her, Oliver called out to him. "Hey Gus, about the roller coaster…thanks for helping me up there."

"Anytime," Gus said with a smile.

* * *

About ten minutes after the groups split up, Kaz knew exactly why Horace had paid Alan to leave for the day. He couldn't shut up about how weird the Normo world was, how everything was inferior and how a great superhero doctor like himself shouldn't run the risk of being infected by some Normo disease. Kaz tried not to hold it against alan. It was probably like culture shock. And though Jordan's suggestion to ditch him so they could hang out just the two of them was tempting, Kaz didn't want to stress out Oliver. He was determined to make this the best official first date ever, even if he wasn't the one on the date.

Jordan was acting weird. Her usual insults and sarcastic remarks were replaced with positive comments about the park. While they were in line for the Ferris wheel, a kid stepped on her foot, and all she said was "the kids sure are excited."

"Are we in the Twilight Zone or something?" Kaz asked. "Why didn't you bite that kid's head off?"

"He's just dump, I mean, he's just a kid. I'm not gonna yell at him for having fun."

"Ooh, I will," Alan said. "Hey, kid! Watch where you're going!"

Jordan smiled, and Alan grinned like he had done the greatest deed. When they got to the front of the line, the woman announced that only two people could fit in one passenger cart. Jordan suggested that she and Kaz ride together, but Alan protested that he wasn't going to get stuck with some annoying blonde girl. When Kaz saw Stefanie chatting with her girlfriends, he jumped on the opportunity. Jordan shot him the most intense glare he had ever seen when she stepped into the passenger cart with Alan. Kaz took the next one with Stefanie.

"Looks like fate brought us together, huh Stefanie?" Kaz said, scooting a little closer to her.

"Or dumb luck."

"I know you're the most popular girl in school, and I'm…not. But you and I have more in common than you think. Just give me a chance and hang out with me."

Stefanie sighed, and checked her makeup in her compact mirror. "You're really persistent, and cute in your…Kaz kind of way…" Kaz smiled, his face lighting up with the compliment. "All right. I guess if we hung out together or something, that wouldn't be too bad."

Kaz stopped himself from squealing. Stefanie said his company wouldn't be too terrible, and more importantly, that he was cute. This was definitely in the top three happiest moments of his life, right behind discovering Mighty Med, and the day he became friends with Oliver. Nothing could top that day in Kindergarten.

* * *

Oliver forced a fake smile when Skylar insisted on riding the plastic seahorses. It was a kids' ride, and there were parents staring at them. He felt bad for being embarrassed, but when a teenage girl was jumping up and down more than the little kids waiting in line, he was pretty sure anyone else would feel the same way.

Except for Gus, apparently.

Oliver couldn't believe when Gus volunteered to ride the seahorses with Skylar. He felt silly watching the two of them laughing and having a good time, wondering if he was being a bad date for not ignoring his embarrassment for Skylar's sake. He wished Kaz was with him to guide him through this stuff. Even though his best friend always struck out with girls, Kaz still understood them better than he did.

As Skylar took Oliver and Gus around the kids' rides, Oliver stood on the sidelines while Gus went on the rides with her.

He was trying. He was trying to be a good date so he could soon become a good boyfriend, but more for Kaz's sake than Skylar's. He was trying to make himself normal so things wouldn't change between Kaz and him, but it wasn't working. Skylar was gorgeous, funny, and always made him laugh, but Oliver just didn't feel anything for her. It was beginning to frustrate him.

"Hey, are you all right, Oliver?"

Oliver snapped back into reality when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Skylar was looking at him. "Yeah, I'm good. Did you have fun on the flying elephants?"

"They were so much fun. But you're not enjoying yourself, are you?"

"What? No, I'm having a blast!"

"No you're not. I guess I got a little carried away. We don't have amusement parks on my planet, so I never got to experience all of this. And all of the kids looked like they were having so much fun, I guess I wanted to join in. Sorry if I embarrassed you."

"You could never embarrass me, Skylar. And I get it. Kid stuff is sometimes the most fun. My dad hates how much time I spend at the comic book store. He says I'm way too mature to be wasting my time with dumb stuff, but if I didn't love comic books, I never would have met you."

"Oliver, that's so sweet."

And there it was: the perfect opportunity to make everything better. The way she was looking at him was just like the leading ladies in the movies. Oliver felt like a man. He leaned forward and kissed Skylar on the cheek. In an instant, he went from feeling like a man to a wuss.

Skylar smiled. "On my planet, that means you like someone enough to share the TV remote, and hunt down a pack full of radioactive yaks."

"Oh. That's kind of what it means here too."

Oliver felt something wet hit him in the back of the head. He turned around and saw Gus holding a water balloon, a big smile on his face.

"Oh, it's on," Oliver said before he ran towards his friend.

* * *

"We can't on that thing," Alan said. "It's clearly not safe. I think I heard it creaking."

"Really? We definitely gotta go on it now," Kaz said.

Splash Volcano was one of the best rides in the whole park as far as Kaz was concerned. It was a huge water slide that ended in a pool of water. Simple, but feeling water slipping under your shorts was exhilarating, and a little arousing.

Alan pulled Kaz aside, getting far enough away from Jordan so she couldn't hear.

"I can't ride that thing. I didn't bring a change of clothes."

"So? Just take your clothes off and ride in your underwear." Kaz began pulling off his shirt.

"No! In case you didn't notice…I don't exactly have a body like Tecton."

"Yeah, so what? I'm not winning any bodybuilding contests myself, but it's fun." Kaz kicked off his jeans so he was standing in a pair of black boxer briefs. "Nobody cares, dude."

"Well, I care. I don't exactly want to broadcast my body to…everyone."

Kaz looked around. People were in various states of undress. A couple of boys were even naked as they stepped out of the pool. It was sort of a communal thing. Besides, Kaz never was never really for embarrassment.

He hadn't noticed it right away, but when he turned and looked at Jordan, she quickly turned away like she hadn't been looking. Kaz had done that too many times to count. He had no idea girls did it too.

When he saw that Alan was looking at her, he couldn't stop from grinning. He gently elbowed Alan.

"Dude, you like Jordan?"

"Shut up!" Alan covered Kaz's mouth with his hand. "I'm just…intrigued. Normo girls are different than I expected. I heard they breathed fire."

Kaz pushed Alan's hand away. "Actually, Jordan can be like that. Trust me. But why don't you make your move?"

"I told you I'm just intrigued."

"Okay, but if you ever want any tips, the Love Doctor is right here."

Alan rolled his eyes. "If you're as bad as you are with that as a Mighty Med doctor, I'll pass."

They didn't go on Splash Mountain. Jordan said it was unsanitary, and once they saw a band-aid floating in the pool, Kaz agreed not to ride it. But he didn't put his clothes back on. The plan was to eat lunch on the beach and it was hot out. Alan and Jordan stared at him, but Kaz didn't mind. The attention felt good.

* * *

Oliver stared too. What else was he supposed to do when his best friend was standing on the beach wearing nothing but his underwear. He felt like his face was going to peel off from heat, and his cheeks were the hottest of all, especially when he noticed that Kaz was hard.

It was all of the bikini-clad girls, bright colored fabric sticking to their wet bodies. Oliver noticed that a couple college girls' nipples were visible through their swimwear, and Kaz noticed too, his attention and his face turning whenever a pair went by. The two of them were waiting for the food to bring back to the group, sitting on the sand by the water.

Oliver was soaked too. Gus and he had run around the kids' area pelting water balloons at one another. Luckily they ran out of balloons right when a mother threatened to beat both of them up for disturbing the peace. Even in the hot weather, he wasn't drying off as quickly as he thought he would. His wet clothes were sticking to his body, making him shiver.

"Dude, your teeth are chattering. Just take off your clothes," Kaz said.

"No way! It's a public beach!"

"So? I saw a couple guys running around in speedos. It's practically the same thing."

He had seen those guys too, college guys with tanned muscles, sparkling with suntan lotion. Oliver couldn't help but get hard when he watched them run by, tight speedos sticking to their firm butts, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Before Oliver had a chance to protest, Kaz climbed on top of him and began stripping him. He tried not to fight his best friend off while simultaneously trying not to draw too much attention to himself, but Kaz overpowered him. His video game arms were nothing to be laughed at.

Soon Oliver was wearing his white briefs, and sitting next to Kaz as if being in your underwear on the beach was the most natural thing. It was crazy, and weird, Kaz's specialties, but once the novelty embarrassment wore off, it actually felt pretty good. A bit like sunbathing. Kaz had brought up the idea of naked sunbathing in one of their backyards once, and Oliver quickly shut that down before Kaz could give it any more serious thought. But he was beginning to rethink things.

He liked this. He liked how Kaz made him comfortable in a way nobody else ever could.

"I saw Stefanie earlier," Kaz said. "She said it wouldn't be so bad if we hung out in the park, but I haven't seen her around at all. I think she might have ditched me."

Kaz chuckled, and Oliver instinctively reached his hand over to put on top of his friend's. "I know you really like Stefanie…her looks I mean, but you deserve a lot better than her."

"Really?"

"Of course."

Kaz smiled. They were quiet, just looking out on the ocean. Their hands were still on top of one another.

"I'm kinda jealous."

"Hmm?" Oliver asked.

"Of you and Skylar. I'm totally glad you're getting a girlfriend, and I know she's gotta come first, but we'll still hang out and stuff all the time, right?"

"Why wouldn't we? We're best friends."

"I know. Just checking."

Oliver didn't mention the kiss on Skylar's cheek. He just wanted to be here with Kaz, quiet. It wasn't until Kaz's stomach rumbled that Oliver remembered they were supposed to be getting food.

"I'm starving. Let's get the food and get back to the guys."

"I'm gonna stay here a couple minutes. But I'll be right there." Kaz started to walk away, but Oliver called his name. "No matter what happens with Skylar, you always come first."

Kaz winked and gave him a thumbs up. "You too, dude."

* * *

He dreamt he and Kaz were swimming deep in the ocean. They were naked. It was even more mystical than all the underwater levels in video games they had played over the years. Colors were more vibrant than above the water, and there was not a human soul for miles. They settled on the ocean floor and watched a school of fish swim by, hands on top of one another. Everything felt right just like this.

When he opened his eyes and saw Gus looking at him, Oliver screamed.

"Sorry, I just didn't know you were there. Was I sleeping?" He reached to rub his eyes, but a sudden pain overtook him. "Ow! What was that?!"

"I think you slept out here a little too long."

Oliver looked down and saw that nearly his entire body was a tanned red. "How long was I out here?"

"About an hour."

"Why didn't you guys come find me? Kaz knew I was here!"

"Kaz fell asleep after eating those four baskets of French Fries after Jordan dared him to do it. Don't worry, I have this cream that will help. My skin is super sensitive too."

If Oliver's face wasn't already red, it was definitely red now. Gus's touch was so gentle as he applied the cream, rubbing his arms like he was giving them a massage. He sighed and closed his eyes.

He didn't have any experiences with massages, but it definitely didn't seem like a routine rub-down to help his skin. It felt almost intimate. He blushed when Gus rubbed the cream on his legs, suddenly aware that he was just wearing a pair of briefs when he felt Gus's wet fingers sprawl across the insides of his thighs.

"You're going to have a really weird tan on your butt," Gus said with smile.

Oliver chuckled. As embarrassing as it was, he had to admit the idea of the rest of his body being tanned but his crotch gave a funny image.

Gus crawled between his legs and began rubbing Oliver's chest, eliciting a sigh from the shorter boy. He wanted to thank Gus for doing this for him, but he didn't want to interrupt the quiet. There was something in the way Gus was looking at him, while gently rubbing his chest, that Oliver couldn't help but notice. It was that same something he had seen the whole day they were at Adventure World.

"So, you and Skylar, huh?"

"Yeah…me and Skylar…"

"She's really nice."

"Yeah…"

Oliver's heart was racing. Why was Gus looking at him like this? And why was he getting so nervous? He felt Gus's hand resting on his stomach, lightly stroking the sensitive skin. He saw Gus lean down. Oliver should have known what was happening, but he was still taken by surprise when he felt Gus's lips against his own.

Gus pulled away before Oliver could fully process what had happened, and when Kaz called his name, he quickly pushed Gus off of him.

* * *

The six of them remained together for the rest of the day. Oliver was only half cognizant of everything happening around him, too lost in thought about Gus. He had come here with Skylar, intending to make everything normal again. Gus was the unforeseen variable. He didn't know what to think anymore. And worst of all, he actually liked the kiss.

It was his first kiss, and it was with a boy. And it was so quick that he hadn't really gotten time to savor it. He wanted to do it again. He really wanted to kiss Gus again.

That was the thought that filled his mind when they watched the 3D movies, and when they played the carnival games. Gus won him a teddy bear by knocking down the three bottles stacked on top of one another. He called the stuffed animal, Little Gus. While in the haunted house, Oliver clung to Gus every time something startling came into view. And when Gus wrapped his arm around him, Oliver felt excited. It was like they had their own little secret. Even Kaz was completely oblivious.

During the final period, Oliver excused himself to go to the bathroom. Gus smiled at him, joining him seconds later. They found a little secluded area, high up enough so they could see the lights from the parade by themselves.

"We should probably talk about…stuff," Oliver said.

"Yeah…or we could talk later."

"Okay."

Gus took Oliver's hand in his own, and Oliver squeezed. He had spent the entire day overthinking everything, so he decided to just act without thought when he leaned forward and kissed Gus. This kiss was slower, longer. There was even a little tongue. His skin was still sensitive from the sunburn, but there was no way he was going to let go of Gus's hand.

* * *

**Looks like the little "who likes who" chart is expanding. **

** I guess we'll see what developments come out of this next time!**


End file.
